


If You Want

by rexisnotyourwriter



Series: Before the Flood [3]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Drunken Shenanigans, F/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 11:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5332976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexisnotyourwriter/pseuds/rexisnotyourwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newlyweds Alec and Tess go to a neighbours New Year's party. Alec needs some liquid courage to socialize.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Want

He didn’t really want to go, but Tess did, so he agreed without a struggle. One of their neighbours was having a New Year’s Eve party, and she thought it would be good for them to meet more people in the area. They had been there for less than a year, since just after their honeymoon.

"Tess," he called from the bedroom. "Which tie d’you think?"

He held two of them up to his collar and looked in the mirror. One was the yellow silk one he’d worn at their wedding.  The other was one he thought he’d had for his graduation; it was a purplish colour with slanted stripes.

She poked her head out from the bathroom.

"Oh, love, you don’t need to wear a tie. It’s a party, not a job interview," she said cheekily.

Sometimes she wondered how he managed before they met. His lack of social skills was rather endearing, actually.

He placed the two ties back on the bed. She put her other pearl earring in and walked over to him. He grinned at her as she undid the top two buttons of his shirt.

"Does this mean we’re not going to the party after all?" he asked, placing his hands on her waist.

"You’re not getting out of this that easy," she said.  

He leaned down and placed his lips gently on the side of her neck and down to her collarbone.

"Worth a try," he mumbled into her exposed shoulder.

She was wearing a black halter dress that draped over her body as if it were made for her and only her. She took his face in her hands and leaned in to kiss him.

"Come on, we don’t want to be late," she whispered.

He jokingly rolled his eyes; she smacked his arm playfully. He grabbed her, pulling her in for one more kiss before they left.

It only took fifteen minutes before Hardy wished he was back at home. They'd met two other couples, and he'd already forgotten their names. Tess had gotten quite friendly with one of the women while Hardy and her husband tried and failed to make small talk. He was glad they hadn't had a chance to make it to the kitchen to open the bottle of wine they brought yet, so he took the opportunity now to use it as an excuse to politely exit the painful interaction.

The host was just leaving the kitchen as he was entering; he had it all to himself.

_Thank God._

The corkscrew was sitting conveniently on the counter as was a tray of wine and champagne glasses. He opened the bottle and poured two glasses. He paused to compare their size, then added a generous portion to one of the glasses. His glass. He cupped them in his hands, stems between his fingers, and braced himself for the impending socializing. Then he paused. Maybe he'd take his time.

He finished his large glass and half of another before someone disrupted his solitude. He nodded a hello and escaped before a conversation had the chance to start. He could feel the wine already affecting his system, but pleasantly.

His eyes scanned the living room for Tess. She was in the corner talking to the same woman as before, but her husband was gone and in his place was another woman. She seemed to be making friends. He was glad.

He took another gulp from his glass before heading over, then he stopped again upon realizing his glass was almost empty. He might as well top it off before he re-entered the party.

"Thanks, love," Tess said as he handed her her glass. "What took so long?" she added under her breath.

"Sorry," he whispered.

She wrapped her arm lovingly around his, but also in a way that didn't allow him to leave.

"This is my husband, Alec," she said to the ladies. "This is Maria, and of course you've already met Jackie."

_Jackie. Right._

"Hello," he smiled.

His head was now glowing happily from the wine, and he could feel his anxiety melting away. He stayed chatting with them for a bit, much to Tess' surprise, until he excused himself to take a turn about the room. He walked about and stopped in an opening where a few of the men were having a lively discussion about football. He knew little to nothing about football, but his liquid courage made him want to pretend like he did. Somehow he managed to join in the conversation as if he knew what he was talking about. He even made a few jokes that had the men hooting and hollering and slapping him on the shoulder like old friends.

Tess caught his eye from across the room; a huge grin spread across her face. She had seen him a bit tipsy before, but never quite so social. He was the life of the party. She was glad he seemed to be enjoying himself. He grinned back at her and gave her a wink.

Hardy checked his watch. It was almost midnight. Where had the time gone?

He raised his arms and now empty wine glass in the air and clinked against it loudly to get the room's attention.

"It's almost midnight!" he hollered.

He heard a giggle and didn't have to look around to know that it came from Tess. He'd know that giggle anywhere.

He felt her hand on his shoulder and spun around to face her, maybe a bit too fast. He steadied himself with his hands on her hips, giggling a bit himself at his twirl.

"You doing okay, love?" she asked with a laugh, placing her hand on the side of his face; he was flushed and warm.

"I'm fantastic," he said with enthusiasm.

The room started counting down.

_Ten, nine, eight._

He gazed into Tess' eyes.

_Seven, six, five._

"I'm so glad I found you," he said.

_Four, three, two._

"Me too," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

_One._

He planted his lips on hers as he slid one of his hands up her back and dipped her, lower than he probably should have, but he didn't drop her. His lips still lingered on hers while he slowly and carefully pulled her back up. He knew he probably should have stopped there, it was just a New Year's kiss after all, but he didn't. He couldn't. She took her hands from behind his neck and down his chest. His hands cupped her face, kissing her deeper, her mouth opening just enough for him to touch her tongue with his. She gently pressed her hands into his chest, and their lips parted.

He looked at her. Her face was slightly flushed; he had clearly caught her off guard. She licked her lips and flicked her eyes up at him.

"Alec," she whispered.

"What?" he smirked.

She just shook her head at him and tried not to smile. She couldn't believe he just did that in a room full of people. He was never big on public displays of affection.

"Well, it's the New Year," she said stroking his arm. "I think we could probably head home."

He grinned.

"That is if you want," she added.

He grabbed her hand in his, locking their fingers, and raised his eyebrows at her before grabbing their coats from the rack and sneaking out the door.


End file.
